Scoring a deer...

A friend of mine shot a buck about 3-4 years ago and while he was dragging it out of the woods by the antlers one came off. Just popped right off its head. This buck was a 130's class buck and the taxidermist put the antler back on.

My question is: If this happened to a record book buck, could the antler be reattached to be scored??

I told my friend that I believe the buck could not be scored with an inside spread, but they could score it as sheds.

Whenever I see people pulling it out by the antlers I cringe. I do this for that exact reason. I know that the possibility of it coming off is very very slim, but who knows what is going to happen. They might not pop the whole thing off but they might bust off a tine.

The antlers must still be attached to the skull plate to be scored. Some would be interested to know that Milo Hanson's World Record Typical has a slug in the one main beam, but since it's still attached to the skull plate, and intact, it's eligible.

That's not to say, Gizmo, that your buddy can't still get it scored, but there is no way to know the inside spread.

I found a B&C Class buck dead in the woods to years ago while 'shroomin' and one side shed off while the buck was dying. I've had an area taxidermist fix it, but it's ineligible for the books. It'll still look sweet on my wall though. And, I will have the Expert Scoring Guru/Boone and Crockett Wonder Boy KNown as Scooter score it for me...

I learned at the Boone & Crockett class it isn't as cut and dried as I thought it was. I sent them an email asking for clarification on several similar situations after I read this thread and I will post what they tell me.

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